And we join the story as Tyr returns reluctantly to Andromeda,
losing his chance to splat the Dragans, but saving a few of the things
that matter to him...
[rivier] just as they walk out of the engine room door...
…and Harper says "Yeah, I guess we'll double-cross that bridge when we come to it..."
Resigning himself to what’s happening, because that’s what the Harper does. Deal with it, move on.
Tyr sets off at a tear and Harper starts to jog after him.
And then at the turn of the corridor Tyr suddenly whirls around, stops dead, so that Harper slams straight into him. Not that it makes Tyr budge an inch. Harper’s mouth opens, but before the “Hey!” can get out, Tyr silences him by catching his face gently with both hands.
And then slides his hands slowly down, caressing Harper's neck. Easing over his shoulders, stroking the length of his arms, and down further, curling round his hips until he can cup Harper's ass, a cheek in each hand.
And does.
Harper is suddenly very still, except that his legs are shaking just this little bit, from the running.
Yeah. The running.
He's making this sound, quiet, in his throat, "Uuuhhhhhh..." as Tyr digs his fingers into his ass and kneads, slowly, pulling Harper against him. Up, until Harper's on tip-toes, leaning against the whole beautiful length of Tyr.
He reaches up instinctively, putting his arms round Tyr's neck to keep balance, his face pressed against the pulse in Tyr's throat.
Tyr’s lips are burrowing amongst the spiky disarray of Harper's head. He’s making this sort of buzzing Mmmmmm as he buries his face in the spikes. Harper can feel it through his skull. That and the heat of Tyr's lips, the touch of his tongue there, there… there.
And Tyr's nipples, tight, studded against his shoulderblades.
And the flat, preposterously solid planes of Tyr's belly.
And the hard, hot furnace of his bulging crotch…
There's the ship-wide alarm still going off in the background, marking time, but Tyr's not going anywhere. Just clutching Harper to him as if he was drowning.
Slowly, reluctantly, his hands let go and slide up again. Circling Harper's waist, lifting him off the ground. Tyr rubs his cheek against Harper's skull and nuzzles down, licking.
Harper lifts his face up as his feet leave the floor and Tyr's lips brush across his temple, moving wordlessly, working down, until they're lip to lip, mouths closed for just a second.
Their lips part at the same time, slowly, savouring the sensation.
Tyr's lips worry against Harper’s mouth, soft but insistent, as his tongue comes forward, gently, licking and probing. Harper feels his own lips curl in a smile he can't hold back as he sucks hard, pulling Tyr's tongue into his mouth.
It feels as if every molecule in his body is somehow touching Tyr, or being touched by him. Harper closes his eyes and gives in to it, heart and soul, gives in to the ache, absolute and overwhelming.
If he could only make it last forever, it wouldn't matter what went on anywhere else.
He could live on the essence of Tyr, a taste like nothing he'd ever guessed at, strong and clean, cut grass, limestone, ember.
There is a still moment when they breathe out together at the same time, a long, shared sigh.
Their lips part, a fraction, and Tyr whispers
"You could come with me..."
Ohhh.
"Yeah... maybe I could. But - not today. Not at this time."
Another sigh. "Ah, well. Then I'll take this for your promise - "
And Tyr kisses him one more time, close-lipped now, holding and pressing to seal the words.
Eases Harper back to the ground, although it seems he can't quite loosen his grip yet, just as Harper runs his fingers up into the unexpectedly soft sensation of Tyr's braids, and has to make himself pull his fingers free, right then. Knows if he doesn't let go now, he never will.
Measured as ever, Tyr takes his time, still caressing for a few moments more, running his palms over Harper's chest, up, back to where he started.
Cupping Harper's face, gently.
Their eyes meet, and there is one last still, silent pause, before Tyr nods fractionally, and Harper smiles again.
A kiss. A promise.